North Korea Famine
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North Korea Famine
North Korea is the most isolated country in the world, but it's a nation of 23 million people that have been starving, silently and painfully, for years. A country that has been in a decline since the 1970's, North Korea defaulted on all of their debts since 1980 leaving many homeless and eighty-five percent of its children malnourished. The country has suffered greatly due to domestic weapon programs, floods and food shortages.
While every famine is complicated by politics, it is fair to say that the North Korean famine is the most complicated, politically, in more than 15 years. Politics is killing people. Literally. Failed agricultural policies made in Pyongyang, North Korea's capital, have contributed more to the famine than floods or drought. Some argue that the North Korean government has the resources to stop the famine by purchasing grain on the international markets if it would only reduce its military spending. In fact, the North Korean economy is crumbling and the government cannot purchase anything on credit because of its poor credit rating. North Korea's currency is not exchangeable on international markets so it cannot be used to purchase food...